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The Think Tank: Finding the magic in MMOs
About a month ago, a Massively reader wrote to our team to ask for help on an issue many of us -- and probably many of you -- struggle with: a genre with lots of games and not enough stickiness (and patience!). I've been around the MMO block (since EverQuest); I even dabbled in Meridian 59. And I keep seeing game articles that make me want to try or retry lots of MMOs, but between my schedule and investment in other titles already, I cannot bring myself to jump into old or new games for more than a few play sessions. There's so many to play that I just can't bring myself to settle down for a little bit to really get enough of the experience to enjoy it. For example, I recently played Asheron's Call for a total of three hours after subbing and reading articles that compelled me to try it. But it felt foreign and clunky. I couldn't stick around to really appreciate it. I fear the same results in other games I'd like to try. Can you give me advice on shedding the urge to judge and dismiss a game if it doesn't click with me immediately? Is there a way to not be jaded or lazy with being a newbie (yet again) in older titles? Help me play more MMOs for the sake of experience and new loves! - MMO junkie seeking help "finding the magic" I polled the team for advice in this week's Think Tank!
Wizards of the Coast sues Cryptozoic over Hex TCG
After Cryptozoic stopped producing the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game -- and around the time Blizzard announced Hearthstone -- the company turned its attentions to its own digital card game, Hex: Shards of Fate. Hex wound up with $2.2 million in Kickstarter funding and is currently in alpha testing. But the game's success hasn't been missed by the biggest player in TCGs, and Wizards of the Coast has sued Cryptozoic for willfully infringing on its intellectual property -- which is to say Magic: The Gathering. Wizards accuses Cryptozoic of copying cards, plot, elements, circumstances, theme, mood, creatures, pace, play sequence, and flow from Magic. Hex is markedly similar to Magic -- though many trading card games draw their inspiration from that base -- and even the community has commented on it. In fact, the body of the lawsuit copies substantial material from a blog post on Threshold: The Hex Podcast comparing the two games as well as quoting forum posts in which commenters have noted the same. If this seems like a weak source of evidence to you, then you're in agreement with Cryptozoic, which has come out stating that the lawsuit is meritless and it intends to fight. If Wizards wins this round, we have to wonder what it means for other card games like our recent favorite Hearthstone.
Check out Magic 2015's list of card-contributing game developers
Magic the Gathering is arguably the most iconic trading card game out there, and when a game is played for more than two decades, its legacy is bound to pick up some notable fans. The upcoming Magic 2015's Core Set, due for release in July 18, reflects that truth, incorporating ideas contributed by game developers into 14 cards in the Core Set. The Genesis Hydra, seen above, was fittingly spawned from a concept submitted by Plants vs Zombies designer George Fan. While the remaining cards in the set have not been shared, other designs include the ideas of Team Meat's Edmund McMillen, Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, and Penny Arcade creators Mike "Gabe" Karhulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins. You can check out the full list of contributors after the break, as well as the full scan of The Genesis Hydra in the gallery below. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
Four ideas Hearthstone should borrow from Magic
I've been playing Magic for almost 20 years. In all that time, Hearthstone is the only other collectible card game that has ever really won me over. Hearthstone is a very different game from Magic, despite some obvious similarities. I want Hearthstone to remain a very different game. Even as wildly successful as Hearthstone has been, however, Magic and other card games have some great ideas that I think Blizzard should borrow to make their own game even better. 1. Format variants Magic has many fun variants, most of them multiplayer: free-for-all, Commander, Two-Headed Giant, Star (or Color Wheel), Planechase, etc. Some of these were invented by players and later adopted and supported by Wizards of the Coast. One of the joys of Magic is how flexible its formats can be. Compared to that, the single format of one-on-one battles in Hearthstone is less exciting. (Of course, Hearthstone is limited by its technology in a way that real cards aren't.) Sure, we're getting a raid in Curse of Naxxramas, which could shape up to be a fantastic single-player variant. But an online game like Hearthstone, with millions of available players, begs for multiplayer formats. They could be competitive or cooperative, playing against other teams or "bosses." A Planechase variant could be adapted quite easily by using the different game boards, once Blizzard adds a few more. Multiplayer variants will be more tricky due to the game's current layout, but I have faith that the developers can make it work.
Magic 2015 deals in Xbox One, out in the summer
This summer, Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers brings the collectible card game series to Xbox One for the first time, but it looks like the game isn't coming to PlayStation platforms in the near future. Wizards of the Coast announced Magic 2015 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, iPad, Android and Kindle, with PS3 and PS4 conspicuously absent from the deck; previously editions have traditionally come to PS3 at launch. As for the summer due date, that's only specified for Xbox One, and Wizards of the Coast notes its releases may vary from platform to platform. Talking of decks, you'll be able to build customized ones in Magic 2015, and Wizards of the Coast promises "more robust" deck-building features to boot. Meanwhile, the story pits players as the prey of primal hunter and generally deadly dude Garruk Wildspeaker. Of course, we might be seeing Magic: The Gathering on bigger screens in the future, after 20th Century Fox's purchase of the series' screen rights earlier this year. We look forward to the inevitable video game based on the collectible card game based on the movie based on the collectible card game. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
How Hearthstone won over a skeptical Magic veteran
I started playing Magic: The Gathering in 1995. I've loved the game ever since a friend introduced me to it. I've played both face to face and online, in one-on-one tournaments and in 12-player free-for-alls. It's the only collectible card game I've ever committed myself to playing. Then along came Hearthstone. I received an invitation to the closed beta. I gave it a few hours and then I dismissed it. I had a long list of reasons. The game was too simple. I felt helpless during my opponent's turn. I couldn't protect my most valuable creatures by keeping them out of combat. I didn't have enough interesting cards to develop the quirky strategies that I prefer in Magic. A few weeks ago, on the advice of a fellow Magic player who had been playing Hearthstone nonstop since open beta, I gave it another shot. I tried to approach the game without my Magic prejudices. I soon discovered that Hearthstone has a lot more to offer than I first thought. Here's how Blizzard won me over.
War of Omens CCG strives to cross Kickstarter finish line
War of Omens, a deck-building CCG by Fifth Column Games, is making an attempt to meet its Kickstarter funding goal by January 13th. The game is set in a dark fantasy world and has three factions to which you can pledge loyalty and undying devotion. The devs describe War of Omens a hybrid between deck-building games like Dominion and traditional collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering. Players will purchase cards during play that will then be shuffled into their inventory for future rotation. There are also resources to collect and use during the course of a match. Fifth Column is asking for $30,000 in funding to finish the title. As added incentive to donate, all those who chip in $10 or more will be given an early access beta key. You can get a look at how a battle works after the break. [Thanks to Mike for the tip!]
Magic Trick #1 is a card trick for your iPhone
If you're looking for a good magic trick to show off your iOS device, give Magic Trick #1 a try (US$0.99). When you perform the trick, the spectator sees several cards. He or she names either the pip or picture cards, the type of card and the suit. You as the performer pick up your iPhone or iPad, which shows a black screen. You then rub the screen, scraping away the black and revealing the chosen card. The magicians out there will have some ideas of how the trick works, but I have to say there are some subtleties that flow so smoothly from your actions that I don't think most people will catch them. The app lets you watch a tutorial before attempting the trick. In my demonstrations, the trick fooled four people who couldn't guess how it was done. You can repeat the trick and you can show a different card, but repeating too often will give the trick away. Magic Trick #1 is a universal app, and it requires iOS 5.1.1 or greater. It is optimized for the iPhone 5.
Street magician works Soho Apple Store
Levi Sparkx is a street magician who recently traveled to New York City to audition for America's Got Talent. While spending time in NYC, he stopped by the SoHo Apple Store to blow a few people's minds. Street magic is an artform where the magician performs for strangers who have no idea they're about to witness something spectacular. For the occupants of the Apple Store, it may have seemed like Sparkx was simply playing with an odd app that moved a coin around his iPhone screen. That is, until something special happened. You can view Sparkx's illusion below, then head over to his YouTube page to see what other surprises he has in store for you.
Two old ghosts argue in Team Fortress 2's Halloween update
Now through November 11, Team Fortress 2 is celebrating All Hallow's Eve with a new "Scream Fortress" update including a custom Payload Race map replete with spooky skeletons, magic spells and two bickering old men. The custom map is Helltower, where the Red and Blu teams must each push their own respective cart through enemy territory to an end goal, just like in any traditional Payload Race match. This isn't the usual Payload Race, however, because on this map players can equip a spell book to their action slot, which allows them to pick up and cast various spells throughout the match. There's also a custom event called The Witching Hour - a path appears for each team leading to the base of the in-map clocktower, where players can grab a rare spell and teleport back to their spawn room with enhanced health and speed buffs. The update also adds over 100 new items for dress-up (turn the Scout into a terrier or give the Pyro a nice Goldilocks wig) and eight new holiday-themed achievements. In order to grab the update, simply head into Steam and boot up Team Fortress 2 for the mandatory install.
Trials of Ascension starting Kickstarter campaign on October 21st
"True permadeath" sandbox MMO Trials of Ascension has finally set a date for the start of its Kickstarter campaign: October 21st. Over the past few months, the team has been gauging interest in the project, promising a crowdfunding campaign if enough folks seemed behind it. Apparently there were and so here we are. Trials of Ascension features a complex fantasy environment full of crafting, building, and consequences for one's actions. Players will have to create their own spell books to use magic and will face the real possibility of being wounded and afflicted long after a battle is over. [Thanks to Android for the tip!]
A lively evening of Hearthstone
The first thing that hit me when I logged into Hearthstone after begging a beta invite off a friend was an overwhelming tsunami of nostalgia for World of Warcraft. It wasn't surprising, of course; this is the card battling spin-off of WoW by the folks who make WoW. But for a player who hasn't set foot in Azeroth for some time now, the audio and visual cues were like the hit of a powerful drug that opened the pathways to all sorts of memories. The chunky, goofy exterior that Blizzard slathers across the Warcraft franchise often belays a serious depth that number-crunchers and elite strategists attempt to plumb. Both are perfectly at home in Hearthstone, which is affable on the surface but, like many CCGs, has no end to the possibilities in builds and play sessions. So what's it like to sit down to an evening with Hearthstone? I'm glad you asked.
Know Your Lore: The color of magic
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. .@yuvalaziza Both priests and paladins can wield the Holy Light. However, not all wield it through the same means (e.g., Elune, An'she). :) - Sean Copeland (@Loreology) July 22, 2013 Earlier this week, Blizzard Historian Sean Copeland was answering questions on Twitter when the above answer came up. People were upset about it because the answer, while seemingly pretty simplistic, seemed to devalue the importance of Elune and the unique nature of night elf philosophy and religion. Magic, in all its forms and function in Warcraft, is one of those tricky subjects to understand -- almost as tricky as trying to wrap one's brain around the cosmos of the Warcraft universe. These types of questions get asked a lot, however. And while not everything regarding magic in Warcraft has been fully defined, we can definitely take a look at these different schools of magic and how they relate to one another on Azeroth.
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers available now on iOS
I got to see Magic 2014 in action back in May of this year, but the game is now available both on the iOS App Store and on Steam for both Mac and PC. (Update: Turns out it's not available for the Mac. Last year's version wasn't either, unfortunately.) The biggest new feature of this year's go-round is the "sealed play" mode, which allows players to build a deck using cards from a set of sealed random booster packs. Usually in these games, you have to use one of the prebuilt decks, but the sealed play mode provides another option for experienced players (or anyone looking ot mix things up). Unfortunately, you only get a couple of deck slots to build in, and you can't reset them, so you have to buy more if you need them. Kind of a cheap move on Wizards of the Coast's part. There are also brand-new cards in this game, and in fact some of the cards are available to play here even before they arrive in the paper game later on this year. Magic 2014 is a free download on the iPad, and then you can buy the whole game (or separate decks) via in-app purchase for $9.99.
Lesser Voidcaller brings all the spirits to the yard
Since the introduction of the new Raiding with Leashes achievement, I've been farming the old BC raids for new pets. I've only managed to farm up about half, but I'm sure Lady RNG will be kind to me at some point. In my collecting adventures, I've come across a few battle pets that are so irresistibly cute that I could care less about abilities, pet family, or how to obtain them. Lesser Voidcaller definitely falls under that category because of its unique idle animation that summons small spirits. Lesser Voidcaller drops from High Astromancer Solarian in The Eye, so it's not tough to obtain. Before you engage the boss, be sure to at least kill the two packs patrolling the room, as the casters will use a mind control and force a reset. The entire room will pull with the boss if you don't clear it, but I've never had an issue AoEing everything, even on my squishier priest. Lesser Voidcaller is of the Magic family and its abilities are as follows: Slot 1 Shadow Shock or Nether Blast Slot 2 Siphon Life or Prismatic Barrier Slot 3 Curse of Doom or Drain Power
The Daily Grind: Is magic too common?
Maybe I think about these things too much and should just give in to the tropes, but it often bothers me how prevalent and common magic is in MMOs. I grew up reading loads of fantasy books where magic was a difficult talent to cultivate and amazing when it was performed. But that's not how it is in MMOs, is it? Our magically apt characters already start out with a full array of spells and are granted new ones with nary a training sequence. And even if you aren't a mage, the fantasy worlds themselves are so littered with magic that navigating them becomes an exercise in not going blind from all the particle effects. It's kind of like cell phones: When you think about them, they're amazing, but they're also so common that they don't impress anyone any more. Is magic too common in MMOs? Would you be open to a game that treated the occurrence and acquisition of magic as a rare and life-changing event instead of a never-ending laser light show? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Aspiring sandbox Trials of Ascension touts true permadeath
Does Trials of Ascension sounds familiar? That could be because the aspiring sandbox poked its head out several years ago but didn't lasso enough investors to become a reality. Now, however, with the advent of Kickstarter and ability to circumvent the big corporate investors, the developers are revving up their engines to give it another go. But first, they are gauging community interest in what they have to offer. So what is Trials of Ascension offering? Here are some tidbits that might tantalize sandbox lovers: a skill system instead of classes, permadeath, multi-step crafting that promotes interdependence, and dynamic spawns. There will also be open PvP and magic. If that sounds good, head on over and sign up on the official forums (doing so will enter you to win a city in the game!). You can also follow the game on social media and share the news with friends. If enough interest is expressed on the forums, devs will post the project to Kickstarter.
Holiday iPad magic to start your week
Simon Pierro is back again with his bag of iPad tricks this holiday season. The iPad magician has compiled his 24 Xmas iPad Magic tricks into a single holiday-themed video. You can watch the compilation below or peruse through the individual clips on Pierro's YouTube channel. [Via iMore]
Daily iPhone App: Starbloom is musical mystery magic
Starbloom, the first iOS title from Shadegrown Games, isn't exactly the biggest or most content-filled title on the App Store this year. There are only five levels in the game, each with an original song to play through, and the menus mostly consist of some text against a black starfield. But I think this is a game that's more than the sum of its parts: the graphics and design, along with that really amazing soundtrack, make this a musical experience that you probably shouldn't miss. The "game" here is really the weakest part. You guide a sort of comet-like object around the screen, trying to collect rings of little widgets for points. But when you collect each of those objects, you add a musical sound to each track, and the experience kind of ascends to something else -- a musical instrument governed by orbital motion. Starbloom might not be for you, and that's fine. There are definitely better values for your money on the App Store. But for US$0.99, it's an experience worth having.
PBS draws link between digital music ethics and magic spells, somehow makes it look simple (video)
AAC files and the arcane don't have much in common on the surface. After some digging, however, PBS' Idea Channel has found that magic is an uncannily good analogy for digital music rights and explaining the thorny ethical issues that come with them. Both music and spells stem from grassroots cultures that give away their content for free, but (at least until an anti-magic clampdown at eBay) have since become businesses. That nature poses a key ethical question: when we're used to a free experience and can copy songs or spells as much as we like, what does it take to keep us as honest customers? As show host Mike Rugnetta suggests, it's a matter of personal responsibility -- if we want more of either, we have to think of the commerce as showing support for future work. You can catch Mike's clever train of thought after the break, and ponder what constitutes DRM for a potion while you're at it.
